Electrical submersible pumps (“ESP”) are commonly used to pump well fluid from hydrocarbon producing wells that lack sufficient formation pressure to flow naturally. A typical ESP has an electrical motor that drives a rotary pump. The pump may be either a centrifugal pump or another type, such as a progressive cavity type.
Some well produce a significant quantity of sand along with the well fluid. Also, wells that have been hydraulically fractured (“fracked”), may produce proppants along with the well fluid. The proppants comprise ceramic or sand particles previously pumped into fissures in the earth formation under high pressure.
The sand and/or proppants can cause abrasive wear of the components of the pump. Various techniques are used to reduce the wear, such as employing tungsten carbide components along the flow paths through the pump. Also, if a large quantity of proppants enters the intake at a given moment, the pump can stall. Wells producing slugs of gas can also entrain large quantities of the proppants in the slugs of gas.
It is known to employ screens to filter the proppants from the pump intake. However, the proppants may accumulate on and clog the screen, requiring an operator to pull the ESP and screen from the well for cleaning or replacement.